Don't be afraid of change....

"Change is upon us.  We can choose to see it as frightening and incapacitating or we  can embrace the opportunities and move forward with hope."

Yup, fall is here.  All around my neighborhood the leaves are changing and falling off.  Although I love all the color, I'm always a little sad when fall comes around.  Gone are the sunny days, in comes the moodiness of rain and fog.  But it is beautiful!  I'm trying to not mourn summer so much and to fully embrace fall. It's a work in progress (I'm a sunshine kind of girl).

Let's face it, most of the time we look forward to change like I look forward to fall.  We might see the beauty of it, but we still mourn what was.  We long for the familiar.  We forget how hot the days of summer were, how sweaty and uncomfortable.  Have you ever heard someone talk about the good old days?  I think sometimes hindsight is not really twenty/twenty.  I think instead you look through rose tinted lenses.  

"Old ways won't open new doors."

I once heard a woman say that she wished she had been born back in the old west pioneer days.  She longed for that simpler way of life.  Hmmmmm, really?  I don't.  I will fully admit that I dearly love modern conveniences like electricity, indoor plumbing, heating and A/C.  I completely embrace and love my computer, cell phone, and T.V.  I am also a fan of things like modern medicine, automobiles, and refrigeration.  I have no desire to go back to the days of old.  None.  I like the fact that I can jump on an airplane and within 10 hours be in a totally different country on a completely different continent.   The whole traveling long distances on horseback or by wagon, while trying to hunt for my food and water, has no appeal for me.  What-so-ever!  Ugh!  I'm very grateful that I was born in this time period and in this country.

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new."

Yet, even as I embrace some of the new things, I find myself fighting some changes.  It's a losing battle.  Some things are going to change whether I want them to or not.  Like, my son is going to grow up.  He will not remain a little boy.  In fact, he hasn't been a little boy for some time now.  Seasons will come and go.  My eyesight will change, my body will change, etc.  Jaguar will keep messing with the body style of it's cars, thus making me less likely to like and buy their cars (that was me being sarcastic, sort of.  Seriously, stop messing with the design! ).  It's just part of the process of life.  

"God never created us to reach one level and then stop.  When you stop learning you stop growing."

"I'm not afraid of change, I'm more afraid of staying the same."

"Change is the essence of life.  Be willing to surrender who you are for what you could become."

"If you want to change you have to be willing to be uncomfortable."

"If it doesn't challenge you is doesn't change you."

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

But, even though I find myself sometimes resisting change, I never, ever, ever, want to stay exactly the same.  I don't want things to always be the same.  How boring life would be if nothing ever changed.  Plus, a lot of the changes I have experienced have, in the end, improved my life.  I've learned something, become a better person, been more fulfilled because of change.  I believe that we all have that underlying desire to change.  I don't know of anyone who would say that they wouldn't want to be a better person.  They may not want to do the work it takes to be a better person, but I believe the desire is in all of us.  

Change means growth, and growth is often uncomfortable.  My son is still growing, and usually I know a growth spurt is about to come because he starts complaining that his joints and bones ache.  They are aching because of the changes taking place in his body.  The aches are not fun, but the results are good.  Growth is a good thing, even if it comes from some painful circumstances.  Growth makes pain worth it.  If all you had was a painful experience, but never grew, that would be frustrating.  I would suggest that if you are going through some painful changes, that you begin to look for ways you can grow and learn from the experience.  

Change is often associated with challenge as well.  Some challenges are harder than others.  But, when challenges are met, change occurs.  Challenges can make you learn something about yourself. They can push you to achieve more than you thought possible.  They can cause you to gain insight about yourself.  Challenges can even solidify faith and belief.  

"If you don't like how things are, change it.  You are not a tree!"

"Accept what you can't change.  Change what you can't accept."

However, I have discovered the best thing about change.  Change can bring empowerment and hope to your life.  A life filled without hope is disheartening.  It's disempowering.  And it's not how we were created to live.  We were created with the freedom to chose.  God gave us free will to chose whether or not we want to change.  I think when you step out in faith and choose to follow God, you are, in essence embracing change.  A change of heart. People think that becoming a God follower is all about loosing your freedom of choice.  I would argue instead, that it is the opposite.  I believe, when you choose God, you are choosing to change yourself  for the better.  You are choosing to add hope and faith and fulfillment to your life.  But, it is a choice and a change that you must make for yourself.  No one can force it on you.  In fact, God doesn't force it upon you.  The power to chose this change in your life lies in your hands.

Change can be scary.  And it can be painful.  But it is going to happen.  The best way I know to deal with change is to try and learn from it and to grow from it. So, in a way, hindsight really is twenty/twenty.  And, although I still may fear some changes, I feel more empowered when I focus on the results rather than on the process.  So, when illness struck my family and brought some painful changes, it was hard.  But, this change helped solidify my trust in God and encouraged me to value the time spend with my loved ones.   When we moved across the U.S. to a new state where we knew no one, the change  brought us new friends, new blessings, and new experiences.  Change can be hard and good at the same time.

So, my continuing challenge for you and for me is to be more reflective about change and how I react to it.  It's a process.  And I'm sure that change will be teaching me new things until the day I die.  So don't be afraid of change.  Instead, embrace what change is teaching you.

I started the blog off with a photo I took the other day while walking through my neighborhood and I'll end with a few more photos of the changing fall leaves.

Savor the moment hereafter....

"There are random moments--tossing a salad, coming up the driveway to the house, standing at the kitchen window and looking out at the delphiniums, hearing a burst of laughter from one of my children's rooms--when I feel a wavelike rush of joy.  Arbitrary moments of nearly painful happiness for a life I feel privileged to lead.  Think of the way you sometimes see a tiny shaft of sunlight burst through a gap between the rocks, the way it then expands to illuminate a much larger space--it's like that."  Elizabeth Berg

Today, as we begin a new week I want to encourage you to slow down, take a moment, and just rest in that moment.  Really feel that moment in time with all of your senses.  Listen.  Smell.  Breathe.  Taste.  See.

"If you're always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you're in?"

As we were traveling this summer, I had to remind myself to not get so caught up in checking things off my list of to do/see that I passed by the moment without really experiencing it.  And, because I kept reminding myself to slow down and take it all in, I believe I enjoyed everything in a more profound and gratifying way.  I can now close my eyes, and in my mind, relive some of those moments with great clarity.

One of the moments that sticks out for me was when we visited the cathedral of  La Seu in Barcelona. It is a massive cathedral done in Catalan Gothic Style built between the 13th and 15th century.

Hopefully these photos will help you see some of what I am describing.

Old buildings always have a distinctive smell about them.  They smell of old dust and stone and history.  And in the cathedrals you can always smell the lingering scent of melting wax from the candles.

To walk into one of these magnificent buildings always makes you feel small.  Everything is grand.  You can't help but feel awed by what is around you.

And to me, they always feel peaceful.  Quiet.  Calm.

This is a place where you can get lost in the details, for there are so many details to be seen.  From the carved stone, to the elaborate stained windows, to the artwork hanging on the walls.  Everything is at once simple and minutely detailed.

But what I remember most was hearing Keagan exclaiming in a soft voice, "Wow!  This is incredible."  And Jeff, whispering, "Amazing!"

I took several minutes to just stand there and take it all in.  The smells, the sounds, the sights.  I listened to my husband and son softly pronouncing their enjoyment and awe of the moment.   I will never forget this moment.  By taking the time to slow down, and just be, my memory of this moment in time will always be one of amazement and awe.

"Savor the moment hereafter."  Douglas Ross

"Develop an appreciation for the present moment.  Seize every second of your life and savor it."

"Savor the moment, search for a little joy, and you will find a great deal of it in unexpected places."

It is so easy to just rush through my day, rush through life, in an effort to get everything done.  To check off all my items on the list.  But when I do that, I find myself dissatisfied.  This feeling of being in a hurry doesn't leave room for enjoyment. So my continued challenge to myself, and my challenge to you is to take some time today and stop.  Savor that moment.  Remember how you feel, what you smell, what you hear, and what you see.  Enjoy it.  I believe it is a lost art in our culture, but one that is an important key to living joyfully.  

So today, I'll leave you with a few more photos of the frost that recently covered the ground around my house.  I went out and enjoyed a few minutes of watching how the frost met the sunlight and created this amazing fall landscape.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.... and spiders.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.... and spiders."

My poor husband has a fear of spiders.  Like, a deep seeded hatred and fear of them, big or small.  I remember when we were first married, we lived in a bottom level apartment.  We seemed to get  a fair amount of spiders that wandered in.  One night, while we were asleep, I felt something crawl across my face.  I reached up with my hand and flung it off, then rolled over to go back to sleep.  Jeff, being a lite sleeper, woke up and asked me what was wrong.  I calmly replied, "I think I felt a spider crawling on me, but I flung it off.  No worries.  Go back to sleep."

Jeff, laid there for a bit, and then started sighing.  Loudly.  He went from sighing to jumping at every little movement or sound.  Finally he said, "I can't do this" and got up to turn on the lights.  He then proceeded to order me out of bed.  I stood to the side, sleepy and irritated, while he promptly tore the bed and bedroom apart until he came across a spider, which he quickly smushed.  It probably wasn't even the same spider, but in his mind, justice was served.  We put the bed back together and a few minutes later, he was happily snoring away.  Me?  Not so much.  I had been awake too long and now my body thought it was time to get up.  sigh.....

Fear.  It is an interesting emotion.  It can be a catalyst or it can be paralyzing.  So what are we afraid of?  What is the cause of some of our fears?

Fear of failure.

"I will not let fear of failure consume me.  I will live out my calling.  We are called to be bold."

"Every great thing starts out a little scary, doesn't it?"

 I decided sometime last year that I had gotten too comfortable with the status quo, that I needed to shake things up a bit.  So I decided that I would do some things that scare me.  This blog is one of the results of that decision.  After having a few people encourage me, it seemed the only thing holding me back was my own fear.  So, I stepped out and started this blog.  And guess what?  It's been fun.   In fact, I don't even know why I was afraid to do it.  I'm not even sure you can fail at a blog.  I guess you can if nobody reads it.  But, if no one reads it, what have you really lost?  Maybe some time?  That's not that scary is it?

Fear of Disaster

In today's world, we are so connected to what's happening around the world through the media.  Everyday you can find someone, somewhere giving speeches about upcoming doom and despair.   And yes, bad things and events do happen, but I would argue that more good things/events happen on a daily basis than bad.  In fact, More than half of the predicted bad outcomes never take place at all.  Hmmmmm......

I'm not saying that fear is all bad.  Fear often acts as a checkpoint to keep us from making bad decisions.  It can keep us from harming ourselves.  Fear can even help us to avoid or actively seek solutions for a predicted bad outcome. Fear has proven to be a catalyst for some amazing, history changing decisions.  For example, fear of disease has resulted in some amazing medical breakthroughs.

But fear can also immobilize us.  It can cause us to step away from our dreams.  It can prevent us from doing what's right.  It can steal your joy.  The Israelites let fear keep them out of the promised land.  That's how powerful fear can be.  Fear made them forget all that God had already done for them.  All the miracles.  All the provision.  Everything forgotten in a moment of fear.

So what should we do?  Don't lose yourself in fear.  Surround yourself with cheerleaders, not fear leaders.  Be courageous. Don't let fear and worry cripple you. Pray.  And, when you are feeling fearful, read what the Bible has to say about fear.  Did you know that the phrase, "Fear Not"  occurs  365 times in the Bible?  I'll leave you with a couple of verses from the Bible that deal with fear.

"No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; He has given His angles orders about you, to guard you wherever you go."  Psalm 91:10-11

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, thought the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though it's waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  There is a rive whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy plea where the Most High dwells.  God is within her, she will not fall;  God will help her at break of day.  Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts his voice, the earth melts.  The Lord Almighty is with us;  the God of Jacob is our fortress."  Psalm 46:1-7


Here's to wishing you a joy filled, fearless weekend!

Music is the voice of the soul...

When I worked at the University of Denver, I was often given free tickets to various events on campus.  I worked there when DU owned two different campuses, and my office and department was located on our North campus.  This campus housed the Law School, the Music and fine Arts school, and The women's College, a seemingly discordant group of studies and students.

Anyway, I was offered four tickets to see a performance of a world renowned symphonic orchestra performing the works of Pierre Boulez.  I had never heard of the composer Boulez, but thought it was a great chance to see this renowned group of musicians perform.  I talked my mom and dad into accompanying Jeff and I for the evening out.

When we arrived, the room was fairly full.  The only seats left were 2 in one row and another set of two in the row behind.  We settled in, with my mom and dad sitting in front of us, and waited excitedly for the performance to begin.  Ok, if I'm being honest, I was probably the most excited out of the group.  My mom likes classical music, so I knew she was at least looking forward to the performance.  As for my husband and my dad, let's face it, they were there to earn brownie points with their wives.  Whatever.

After the first few bars of music, it became abundantly clear that maybe we should have paid a little more attention to who the composer was.  You see, it turns out that Pierre Boulez is known for writing atonal, dissonant, and discordant music.

***quick music lesson here*** the Wikipedia definition:  In music, consonance is the harmonic chord or interval considered stable (at rest), and dissonance is considered unstable.  Consonance is a combination of notes that sound pleasant to most people when played at the same time; dissonance is a combination of notes that sound harsh or unpleasant to most people.

My taste in music ranges from "you need to hear this" to "I know, please don't judge me."

Now, I have a broad range in my taste of music.  I usually like everything.  However, I discovered that night I'm not a huge fan of atonal, dissonance musical forms.  Apparently, none of my family members are either.  However, it is extremely rude to get up and leave during a performance.  Plus, we were located closer to the stage than the doors.  Translation, we were stuck there until intermission.  However, I did find something that entertained me while we sat there, and that was the faces my dad was making.  As the music continued to get more and more discordant, my father's face  became more and more astonished.  So much so, that I found myself getting the giggles (which is frowned upon more than leaving during a performance).  When intermission finally arrived, we all, by mutual silent agreement, left our seats and never returned.

"I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy;  but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning."  Plato

"Music is the art of thinking with sounds."

I come from a musical family, at least on my mother's side.  I have a musical family.  My mom plays the piano, my brother the guitar, my sister in law can play the piano and has an incredible voice, my brother -in-law plays the trumpet, my sister-in-law I believe played the clarinet, my husband the drums and piano, my son the drums, alto sax, tenor sax and some trumpet (so far), and I sing.  Music is big in our house.  We usually have some form of it playing in the house.  We like to watch the singing competition shows on T.V.  I can almost guarantee that either Jeff or Keagan are drumming on something at about any given point and time in our home. When we travel, we are drawn to places where live music is being played.

But beyond my genuine love for music, I appreciate and acknowledge the benefits of music in my life.  And, there are many studies that back up my belief in those benefits.

Studies show:
-Music improves auditory development which is directly linked to improved reading skills.
-Music improves analytical skills.
- Instrumental practice enhances coordination, concentration and memory.  It also improves eyesight and hearing.
-A UCLA study shows that music more fully involves brain functions (both left and right hemispheres) than any other activity.
-High School music students have a higher GPA's.
-Involvement in music reduces high school drop out rates.
-Musicians read emotions better than non musicians.
-Music helps during physical activity by reducing the perception of effort and increasing endurance.

However, there is more to music than just the proven (according to the studies) cognitive and motor skills benefits.  I believe there is a more spiritual connection to music that was ingrained into us when man was created by God.

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent."

"Where words fail, music speaks."

"Music can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable."  Leonard Bernstein

"Music is the voice of the soul."

"Music is the bridge between heaven and earth."

"Worship is not a result of how good the music is or whether my favorite songs are sung.  It is not a consequence of whether I stand or sit, lift my hands or kneel.  My worship must be an expression of my relationship with God-- in song, in shouts, and in whispers, sitting, or walking.  Worship is my response to God."

"When I worship I would rather my heart be without words than my words be without heart."  Lamar Boschman

I believe music covers the gap when words are not enough.  Those times when we find it hard to communicate.  When we lack the words to communicate.  I don't know about you, but there are times when I just do not posses the vocabulary to express what I am feeling.  Music is the great communicator.  It helps us connect and communicate with each other and with God.  I'm not a theologian, nor do I ever wish to be.   But this is my simple understanding of the role of music in humanity.  I believe that when God created us He knew that we would often lack the ability to effectively communicate everything with just our simple language skills.  That somehow, sometimes, we would need something more.  Something more complex, more meaningful, I don't know, just more.  Somehow, music fills that gap.  Music opens up these lines of communication.

"Music is the universal language of mankind."

Did you know that studies have found that all human beings express emotions in the same way in our music, regardless of culture?  You see, researchers took western music that had an angry feel, a happy feel, and a sad feel to people groups across the globe who had never had any exposure to western music.  When these people groups listened to the music, they could identify the emotions expressed in the music.  Which leads me to my next point about music.  It communicates across cultural, language, and other barriers.  Music builds bridges in our relationship with God and  other humans. Wow!  There's a whole blogs worth of stuff I could write about this one, but I'll leave it alone for you to think about and process on your own.

"For those living in the most dehumanizing conditions....music offers a chance for them to transcend the world around them, to remember that they still have the capacity to experience something beautiful."   Robert Gupta

"Music heals the soul."

Music is more than a communication tool.  It can bring healing to the soul.  Look at the story of David and Saul.  It states that the music David played for Saul brought peace to his spirit.   Robert Gupta, a classical violinist with the LA Philharmonic, a researcher of neurobiology, and an activist for mental health issues, discovered the healing benefits of medicine while studying the work of neuroscientist Gottfried Schlaug.    He also tells a moving story of how he has seen the medicinal benefits music has on those suffering with mental health issues, specifically while working with Nathanial Ayers, a brilliant schizophrenic musician.  You can look up his talk entitled Music is medicine, music is sanity on ted.com.  Music is healing.

So, my love for music goes beyond a simple enjoyment of sound.  I believe music is a God given gift.  It is a passion that I want to share with you because of the many benefits it brings to your life.  It transcends the basic communication of mere language.  It touches the soul and allows the soul to express our deepest, most complex, thoughts and feelings.  Music brings life, relationship and healing.  Music builds bridges.  Music improves our cognitive abilities.  My blog is about joyful living, and I believe to truly live a joyful life you must embrace the gifts you have been given.  So I hope you begin to truly appreciate music.  What a Gift!

I'll leave you with a photograph of a group of amazingly talented performers we ran across while in Croatia.  They were incredible!  In fact, one of the most striking things to me about this previously war torn country is the amount of musically gifted performers we encounter while there.  I believe that music has been one of the healing forces at play in this country.

Thank You!

I find it interesting that our society has found the need to create days in which we thank people for everything they have done.  Don't get me wrong, I love to celebrate those days just like everyone else, but I wonder,  would we even think to thank these people if it weren't for that special day?  And why should we have to be reminded to thank people like our moms, dads, teachers, bosses etc...

"I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks; and ever thanks."  Shakespeare

"Every time we remember to say thank you, we experience nothing less than heaven on earth."

So today, I'm up with a simple message:  Thank You!

"Dear God, I want to take a minute not to ask for anything, but to just thank you for all that you do for me."

There will never be enough words to express my thanks to God.  EVER.  Just thinking about how to express my thanks with my limited vocabulary is overwhelming.  The blessings and gifts that I need to thank God for are innumerable.  So, I'll keep it simple, and borrow from Shakespeare by saying,  THANKS, and THANKS; and EVER THANKS!

To my Mom and Dad:  Thank you for everything you have done for me.  The sacrifice, the advice, the love, the correction, the stability you provided, and on and on.... Thank you.  For spending your lives in service to others.  Thank you.  For bringing the love of Jesus to the people of Colorado.  Thank you.  For being amazing grandparents.  Thank you.

To my favorite brother and his family:  Thank you!  You have given me the most adorable, amazing, fun, rambunctious, nephews!  Thank you for the sacrifices you made in order to bring the love of Jesus to the people of Japan!  Thank you for everything you do to bring the love of Jesus to the people of Colorado.  For being a fabulous Uncle and Aunt to my son, thank you!

To my son:  Thank you for bringing joy and laughter to my life!  Thank you for your sweet love, your great work ethic, your intellect, your fabulous smile, your amazing laugh, and for the simple privilege of being your mother.

To my husband:  Thank you for choosing me to be your bride (best decision of my life!).  Thank you for loving me, supporting me, partnering with me, and laughing with me.  Thank you for being a great father to our son.  Thank you for working hard and providing for our family.  Thank you for sharing the good and bad times with me.  I am humbled and honored by your love.

To my Mother and Father in law:  Thank you for raising such an amazing son!  Thank you for the sacrifices you have made as parents for your children.  Thank you for the support and love you have shown me.  It is a honor to be part of your family.  Thank you for being incredible grandparents!

To my favorite brother in law and family:  Thank you!  You have given me the most beautiful, amazing, and talented nieces!  Thank you for your love, support, and friendship!  Thank you for being a fabulous Aunt and Uncle!

To my friends:  Thank you for praying with and for me.  Thank you for shared laughter and tears.  Thank you for becoming sisters and brothers.  Thank you for your support, your advice, your companionship, and your love!

To Pastors:  I have known many throughout the years.  Thank you for your sacrifice.  Thank your for sharing your wisdom and advice.  Thank you for your love and support.

To Teachers:  Both those who taught me and those who are teaching my son.  Thank you for encouraging us to learn.  Thank you for introducing us to music, literature, art, math, history and so much more.  Thank you for your encouragement.  Thank you for challenging us to do more, do better, to continue on.

To all those faceless people who provide services for me daily:  From the mail delivery people to the truck drivers who drive goods across this nation, to the utility workers, to the janitors, to the farmers, to the police officers/fire fighters/military/FBI agents,  and all those people in between.  Thank you for everything you do.  I may never meet you or see what you are doing, but I am thankful for you.

Thank you for reading my blogs.  They are just some ramblings from a grateful person about life, but I appreciate your support and encouragement.

I just want to say to all of you,  Thanks, and thanks; and ever thanks!

"Each morning, when you open your eyes, think only three things:  thank you, thank you, and thank you.  Then set out to make the best use of the gift of this day that you can."

So thankful for this beautiful world we live in.  I'll leave you today with just a few photos.

God doesn't have a box

"Sometimes I think,  Wow God, that was outside the box.  Then I remember, God doesn't have a box."

I think it's just in our nature to try and label things.  To try and make everything fit into a category that make sense to us.  Some of this behavior may be traceable all the way back to Adam, when God brought the living creatures to be named by Adam (Genesis 2:19-20).  There's just something about us as human beings that wants to define everything and place it where it goes.

Some of us, like me, have an overactive need to define, categorize, and place items where they belong.  Case in point, my kitchen.  In my kitchen every drawer and shelf is labeled with the contents.  It should tell you where things are or where things should be placed.  I am the only person in my house who appreciates this.  And sometimes, I believe I am the only one who can read (I still love you Jeff & Keagan, even if you don't follow the labels).  :)  At times, I am a little (ok, honestly, a lot) irritated when I find things on the wrong shelf.  I know, it's a sickness.  Jeff drew the line in the sand when I tried to "organize" his garage.  He has no appreciation for labels and plastic bins.  It's sad, really.  And don't even get me started on clothing arrangements in closets (they must be arranged by color.  Then sorted within each color grouping according to type, i.e.  for shirts they start with sleeveless tanks, then sleeveless dress shirts, then sleeveless sweater shirts etc...)  The sheer beauty of this clothing organizational process is lost on the rest of my family members, despite my daily prayers that they adopt my organizational style.

And yes, I am laughing at myself (while I am simultaneously trying to figure out how to get Jeff to label and organize his garage in a manner that make sense).  Thank God he loves me anyway.

I know this is an extreme way of looking at things.  However, I find that people often apply the same kind of strategy when dealing with each other.  And, although this may work well for categorizing and organizing things like clothing, it is a dangerous method to adopt when dealing with people.

"A wise person knows that there is something to be learned from everyone."

"There are no rules for friendship."

"We often see hurting people as an interruption to our ministry rather than the purpose of our ministry."

"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him."

When we categorize people, we put them in a box. A box with clearly defined sides.  The problem with that, is that people rarely fit into that box cleanly.  And a box doesn't allow for any difference or change. You see, if you change one line on a box, either by making it shorter or longer, you no longer have a box.  We box people up in may different ways, how they dress, what they drive, who they are friends with, their political affiliation, etc....

So, what's the problem with placing people in boxes?

Some boxes help us to feel morally justified in talking to people or about people in an uncaring and unloving manner.  We feel free to bash others over the head with verbal rocks because, in our eyes, we have the moral high ground.  There's no room in that box for understanding, or compassion, or forgiveness, or love.

Other boxes give us excuses to be lazy in our relationships with others.   It allows us to distance ourselves from others because of jealousy or insecurity. It absolves us of any responsibility to pursuit friendship, leaving all of the responsibility on someone else.  Unfortunately, when we place people in this box we miss out on opportunities to get to know someone who may teach us something new, who may stretch us, grow us, and challenge us.

"So often the things that we think disqualify us are the very things God uses to qualify us to do His will."

And here's the real problem with boxes.  God doesn't have a box. Don't believe me?  Read your Bible.

God used a beauty queen to save a nation:  Esther

God used an orphan:  Esther (she was raised by Mordecai, her uncle)

God used a young girl to help save the future leader of Israel:  Miriam

God used a woman as a great prophet for Israel:  Deborah

God used a fugitive to free Israel:  Moses

God used the son of a prostitute to deliver Israel:  Jephthah

God used a boy to save an army:  David

God used a murderer, an adulterer, and a liar:  David

God used a tax Collector:  Matthew

God used a fisherman: Peter

God used a prostitute:  Rahab

God used a "crazy", "radical" man: John the Baptist

God used a coward:  Gideon

God used the son of idol worshipers: Abraham

God used a man who had spent his life persecuting and killing Christians:  Paul (formally Saul)

God used a barren and doubting woman to multiply his people: Sarah

God used a "crazy" woman: Mary Magdalene

God used a wealthy woman to help support Jesus: Joanna

I could go on and on and on...

"Brokenness breaks us from our need to be right and breaks us open to our need to extend the grace we have been given."

Hmmmm.  I wonder how many of these people we would have put in a box labeled not useful.  You see boxes are so deadly because it keeps us from really looking at the person.  Instead, we look at the labeled box we put them in.  It allows us to dehumanize them in a way.  It encourages us to make assumptions that are often far from the truth.  Dear Lord, forgive me for the times I've labeled someone, put them in a box, and walked away.  For not seeing the pain, the need, the person.  For not showing love, compassion, and understanding.

I am grateful that God didn't look at me that way.

 So, my challenge to myself and to you this day is to stop trying to place others into boxes.  Instead, I pray that God will help me see others as He sees them.  Outside of the box.

I'll leave you with a few photos of some of the architecture of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona.  He was definitely someone who thought "out of the box."

There is a God.....

This is going to be a weird confession, but one of the things I actually like about where I currently live is that we often get heavy, thick fog.  Maybe it's because fog doesn't happen much in Colorado, where I'm from (not enough moisture in the air).  I don't know.  But I love how the woods look in the fog.  And the way the moisture droplets form on plants and even the spider webs is beautiful.  It's peaceful.  It's quietly stunning.  And it provides me with the perfect opportunity to walk around and just meditate on how amazing God is.

Yesterday morning was one of those beautiful, foggy mornings and I went for a walk with my camera in hand.  Today, I'm going to share some of those photos with you along with the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by Lee Ann Womack.  Enjoy!

There is a God

Try and put your arms around 

the 100 year old tree

Climb up on a horse

and let it run full speed

Take a look down at the world from 30,000 feet

on your next flight

There is a God

There is a God

There is a God

How much proof do you need?

Watch a flock of birds

against the morning sun

Close your eyes and listen

to the river run

Catch a firefly in your hand

or a raindrop on your tongue

that's right!

There is a God

There is a God

There is a God

How much proof do you need?

Plant a seed and see

what comes out of the ground

Find the heartbeat on your baby's ultrasound

In a few years hear it laughing,

and don't it sound like a song?

Stop and think about

what you don't understand

Things like life and love

and how the world began

Hear the doctor say he can't explain it

but the cancer is gone

There is a God

There is a God

There is God

How much proof do you need?

Science says it's all just circumstance

Like this whole worlds just an accident

But if you want to shoot that theory down

Look around

Just look around

There is a God

There is a God

There is a God

How much proof do you need?